Juan Carlos Martel renounces a second mandate in the Free because of his difficult governance

Juan Carlos Martel will leave the direction of the Teatre Lliure in February, when his current term ends. The person in charge of the great Catalan theater institution has decided not to opt for a second period of management due, according to sources familiar with the decision, to the difficult governance of the theater, which thus accumulates successive crises after the resignation of Lluís Pasqual. A resignation that Martel has communicated to the board of trustees of the institution held today.

“Mr. Martel Bayod was hired as Director of the Fundació Teatre Lliure in January 2019 after being chosen by a public contest called for this purpose and his contract will end on January 31, 2024. The Director has decided to end his contractual relationship on the aforementioned date because the internal conditions necessary for adequate development in the continuity of the project did not occur. The Board of Trustees of the Fundació del Teatre Lliure appreciates the excellent work that he has carried out up to now and is confident that he will be able to continue exercising his position regularly until the expiration of his contract. This decision does not alter the current programming or the one planned for the 2023/24 season”, explains the brief statement sent by the Fundació Teatre Lliure.

Martel’s departure comes after being elected to office due to a serious crisis, which led to the resignation of Lluís Pasqual in the institution. In the four years that have elapsed since his election -his term was extended by one more due to time lost due to the pandemic-, Martel has carried out an extensive transformation program in the theater, betting heavily on programming for the most contemporary creation at the same time that it maintained the great titles of the universal theater repertoire such as Les tres germanes by Chéjov or Tots eren fills meus by Arthur Miller.

At the same time, it has pursued the internationalization of the Lliure and there has been a transversal commitment to thought and educational programs. As a stage director, and adhering to the rule that he himself imposed of only directing a production every two seasons, during his tenure he has directed La malaltia, an adaptation of El mal de la joventut, and this season a Yerma with great critical reception and public.